A mathematical physicist by training, Saeid now manages teams of data scientists to solve concrete business needs using state-of-the-art machine learning solutions. His expertise in identifying opportunities and determining strategic and technical roadmaps helps him bring together ideas, individuals and technologies to obtain valuable information from large-scale data. Under Saeid’s leadership, a team of data scientists are exploring the potential applications of existing and emerging privacy preserving technologies to address some of the evolving privacy related needs of the organization, in particular with the broader use of cloud platforms. He is a member of an international working group supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe that will enable national statistical organizations to unlock valuable insights from the data that cannot be acquired due to privacy constraints. He successfully established a vision and strategy that builds on the strengths of his organization to enhance the protection of Canadians’ data. In addition, Saeid has contributed to multiple collaborative research projects to support leading government agencies in their fight against COVID-19. He has led a machine learning project aimed at identifying and predicting high-pandemic outbreaks at various geographical levels.
Saeid joined the University of Ottawa in 2015 as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Professor Anne Broadbent. During this time, his research focus was primarily on the intersection of quantum information theory and algebraic geometry, and he developed expertise in techniques and concepts of classical, quantum and post-quantum cryptography. Towards the end of his fellowship, Saeid conducted a joint research project with Professor Maia Fraser, which involved Hamiltonian Monte Carlo sampling in probabilistic models, and helped pave the way for his current work in machine learning. His research projects undertaken under the guidance of Profs. Broadbent and Fraser encouraged him to keep an open mind towards new learning opportunities and original ideas.
Looking back, Saeid is grateful to Prof. Broadbent for her support and guidance during his postdoctoral studies. He is also appreciative of the opportunity to work with Prof. Fraser, who inspired his passion for machine learning. The tremendous support and positive feedback he received from the uOttawa community have taught him that maintaining physical and mental health are essential in a life where learning never stops.
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